An optical organizer box comprises a watertight box made up of a fixed bottom and of a removable lid, which box receives at least two optical fiber cables and at least contains one or more "cassettes" for storing splices and surplus lengths of optical fiber, and often also contains storage means for storing standby fibers waiting to be used, e.g. fibers from a "through cable", i.e. a cable merely passing through the box with its fibers broken out and optionally stripped, standing by in said box for subsequent use.
Such a box, and its contents constitute a structure comprising various elements that must perform the following four functions:
Function I: securing and sealing the optical fibers in inlets; PA1 Function II: directing the optical fibers towards the optical organizer proper; PA1 Function III: storing the splices and the surplus lengths of optical fiber in cassettes equipping the organizer proper; and PA1 Function IV: optionally storing standby optical fibers, in particular optical fibers of a "through cable". PA1 securing and sealing the optical fibers in inlets; PA1 directing the optical fibers towards the optical organizer proper; PA1 storing the splices and the surplus lengths of optical fiber in pivotally-mounted cassettes equipping said organizer; and PA1 optionally storing standby optical fibers, in particular optical fibers of a "through cable"; PA1 for each cable, the device includes an inlet device for providing a watertight cable inlet and for securing the strength members of the cable, which inlet device is fitted to the cable prior to inserting said cable into the box, the outer sheath of the cable then being secured directly on said watertight inlet device and upstream from its sealing means; PA1 all of the watertight inlet devices then being received by being plugged into the same side of the box and then being locked therein merely by keying; PA1 the optical organizer which is separated from the inlet devices by an empty transit space through which the broken-out optical fibers pass, includes a pedestal which is fixed to the bottom of the box and which receives one or more cassette-holding modules for holding cassettes for storing splices and surplus lengths; PA1 each module receiving one or more cassettes so that each cassette can tilt, in known manner, through at least 90 degrees about its base; the modules being stackable in nested manner and in a direction that slopes, in known manner, relative to the plane of the bottom of the box sufficiently to enable each cassette to tilt in this way; PA1 the means, acting by clipping, are organized to hold each cassette in either one of its two end-of-tilt positions; PA1 the pedestal is followed by a second empty space optionally organized to receive other optical fibers referred to as "standby" optical fibers; and PA1 the edges of the box bottom are of a height that is sufficiently small as to enable all of the cassettes in the stack to be accessed freely from the sides. PA1 at the front: a rigid securing solepiece provided with orifices or slots into which central strength members and/or side strength members of the cable are inserted, each of these orifices or slots co-operating with a clamping member typically acting by a screw being rotated to clamp the strength member(s) that it receives; PA1 at the rear: a nut for clamping a stuffing box, which nut is also shaped to receive a retaining member for retaining the outer sheath of the optical cable; and PA1 between the front and the rear: a sealing tubular body whose front portion engages telescopically into said securing solepiece, means being provided for fixing the sealing body to the securing solepiece in the engaged position, the rear portion of the tubular body co-operating with a sealing ring to form the sealing stuffing box that is complementary to said clamping nut, the stuffing box achieving the sealing by clamping on the outer sheath of the cable; PA1 the sealing body also receiving means for providing the sealing relative to the inlet passageway in the chamber or container, and further including an abutment member which is designed to co-operate with a complementary shape of said inlet passageway to limit the insertion of the device through said inlet passageway, the abutment position then being such that the head of the device emerges inside the chamber or container, keying means then being provided for locking the device in this position; PA1 said optical organizer includes a pedestal which receives one or more cassette-holding modules for holding cassettes for storing splices and surplus lengths; PA1 each module receiving one or more cassettes in a manner such that each cassette can tilt, in a manner known per se, through at least 90 degrees about its base; PA1 the modules being stackable in nested manner in a direction which slopes, in a manner known per se, sufficiently to enable each cassette to tilt in this way; and PA1 means acting by clipping are provided to hold each cassette in either one of its two end-of-tilt positions.
The structure of organizer boxes currently sold by the Applicant includes, inside the box, a metal securing plate for securing the optical cables, followed by a zone in which the optical fibers are directed and in which the standby fibers are stored, which zone lies under a metal plate for receiving the cassettes for storing the splices and the surplus lengths of optical fibers.